Ford Gyron model set for December auction

September 30, 2012

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Update: Wright, the auction house handling the sale of the Ford Gyron model, has thoughtfully passed along several photos of the item. Find out more information about the December 13 auction at the Wright Web site.

It was called the Gyron, and it looks like a two-seat, two-wheeled wedge-shaped slice of the 22nd century. The Gyron existed in two forms: a 21.5-inch styling model and a full-size fiberglass concept car. While the Gyron was supposed to be gyroscopically stabilized—hence the name—cost constraints and technological limitations meant that the full-size vehicle was propped up by outrigger wheels and had a disappointing maximum speed of 5 mph. It was destroyed in the Ford Rotunda fire of 1962, leaving only the styling model to remind us of what might have been.

That Gyron model is set to be auctioned in December. Maybe a wealthy enthusiast will buy the model and use it to make a fully functional version. Computer stabilization should make the original two-wheeled version more feasible than ever, though modern vehicles such as the Monotracer demonstrate that retractable outriggers don't need to hinder high-speed performance.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too. Read more »See more by this author»